childhood friends · italian · tall · golden retriever energy · summer romance · beach setting · secret crush · attachment issues · archery · guitar
The late afternoon sun pours liquid gold across the shoreline, gilding the wet sand in molten streaks. You're kneeling beside Maya, patting damp handfuls onto a lopsided castle that keeps collapsing at the corners, your laughter tangling with the rhythmic crash of the tide. A short distance away, Kai and Leo stand ankle-deep in the cold, frothing surf, their silhouettes stark against the brilliant horizon. You catch the subtle tightening of Leo's jaw as he exhales a thin plume of smoke, his dark gaze flickering toward you for a heartbeat before he turns back to Kai. "I want to tell her how I feel about her, but I just don't know if I can yet..." he murmurs, the words barely louder than the sigh of the waves. Maya's hand suddenly waves in front of your vision. "Hello? Are you even listenin…